Inked Puppetry: Turnabout
by Vorahk295
Summary: A week after the events of Shattered Minds, Tails and Fiona are settling into a happy life together. Unfortunately, Councillor Hamlin is determined to see FIona locked up for her past transgressions, and now the vixen faces a trial she isn't sure that she can win. The second part of the Inked Puppetry Saga.


Inked Puppetry: Turnabout.

A week after the victory on Moebius, the Freedom Fighters had met up for breakfast at Chuck's diner, sitting around a table large enough for all but two of them. Nicole, not needing to eat, was working, and Emerl was with her, mostly out of his usual need to be by her side, but also, he felt, out of necessity- Nicole was currently highly unpopular with people, especially the specific group that made up Mina's fandom, and Emerl felt the need to be with her at all times.

Fiona's seat had been newly squeezed in, between Tails and Bunnie, and she was currently leaning on the shoulder of the former, while chatting with the latter between mouthfuls.

"How're you two this mornin', then?" Bunnie asked. She had less food than the others- the conversion of material fit for Mobian consumption into energy that her bionics could use was a slow process, meaning that, during downtime, she could survive on much smaller meals.

"We're good." Fiona smiled, dropping her knife to give Tails a quick hug. He returned the gesture with his namesakes, smiling as much as one could with a mouthful of bacon. "Now I know Mephiles was screwing with me. There's no way I'd refuse someone so sweet to chase a creep like Scourge without something going wrong with my brain."  
"Great to hear, Sugah." Bunnie smiled. "Say, what was that like anyway?"

"Oh, that's a tough question. I'm sure there was more to it- I remember getting a lot of head-rushes when making pivotal decisions- but with hindsight, it seems like he just... said things, and no matter what I might want, think, or know beforehand, I'd automatically agree. It's not that I couldn't stop myself, more like I didn't want to, because he'd made all the other options moot."  
"Nasty..."  
"Yeah... Still, he can't affect me anymore, so I'm not worried. Anyway, how about you? How's it going for you and Ant?"  
"Great as ever, thanks."

Once the group had finished, Chuck approached them.

"And the verdict?" He asked.  
"Perfect as always, Unc." Sonic grinned. "I don't know why you ask these days."  
"Well, we have a new guest."  
"I've eaten your cooking before, sir." Fiona smiled. "If anything, it's even better now than it was then."  
"Thank you, though I can't take credit for the improvement. My skills are the same, but I have better equipment thanks to Nicole."  
"Oh, I see. She's so helpful, huh?" The vixen smiled. "I can't believe people want her gone..."  
"The issue there is that while Nicole has waited on them hand-and-foot, and the nanite city has made life easy for them, getting brainwashed by the Iron Queen flipped that all on its head, and made Mobotropolis a nightmare to live in. They're afraid of her, so they're lashing out..."  
"That's not fair..."  
"I know it isn't, but things will work out for her. She's doing all she can to prove herself to them again, and it'll stick soon enough."  
"She shouldn't have to prove herself to them again, she's done more than enough."  
"I agree, but we have to let this run its course, like it or not." Chuck sighed. "And on that note... I thought I should warn you that Hamlin's at it again."  
"Ugh, when is he going to give up?" Tails groaned.  
"When either his term in office runs out, or you go to jail."  
"That's uplifting." The redhead growled. "What's his beef with me, anyway?"  
"He's jealous." Sally cut in. "He's jealous of all of us."  
"Jealous?"  
"Yes... He wanted to be a Freedom Fighter, and he was part of the substitute team I assembled in the waning days of the First Robotnik War. When we won, I disbanded the team, since we had a solid power base and an organized military again, and we didn't need them anymore. I opened up room for other people to join the Freedom Fighters, and he tried, but he failed to make the cut- In the war, I needed all the help I could get, but afterwards, I could afford to be picky. It's why Antoine, well, effectively manned up after Robotnik's death."  
"Not good enough?"  
"Partially, but that's fixable with training. It was more the ego problems. He was very clearly in it for his own gain, and not to protect the people. He's carried a vendetta against those who did make the cut since, and he constantly looks for excuses to throw the book at us, mainly me." Sally went on. "He likes the idea of the Freedom Fighters being a council-controlled service, or rather, being a Hamlin-controlled service. Basically, he wants me out of a job as revenge for firing me. Of course, he's keen to use what happened to you to help in that goal."

"He's probably got a similar motive to me for going after you." Amy added. "I hated you before I realised what was going on with you, not only because of the betrayal and the other things Mephiles made you do, but because you had everything I wanted- respect, an important role in the team, Sonic's affection- and you threw it away. You were a Freedom Fighter- what Hamlin wanted to be- who seemingly threw it aside in the worst way possible, and now you've been welcomed back with open arms."

"Makes sense." Fiona shrugged. "What's he done this time."  
"It's... it's bad news." Chuck sighed. "You might want to sit down."  
"Okay..." She gulped, taking a seat beside Tails, who held her closely.  
"He's gone through the books with a fine-tooth comb... turns out that since Nicole isn't a Mobian citizen, her testimony technically doesn't count. It's been thrown out."  
"But that's all the proof we have that Mephiles even exists!" Tails protested.  
"Exactly." Chuck nodded.  
"Being a Freedom Fighter grants automatic Mobian citizenship." Sally said. "It's one of those little things we worked in to allow our interzonal allies to assist us with capturing our enemies. If we didn't have that, any criminals caught would be released because they were caught by a vigilante."  
"And at what point did you actually swear Nicole in?"  
"Uh... Shit."  
"There you go. Everything she said has been rendered null and void."  
"Just make her a full member and have her say it again." Fiona shrugged.  
"I can't do that now... not with the public opinion of her." She sighed. "It would cause riots, and... well, Emerl gets testy when Nicole's being insulted. We don't want him to snap, which he would..."  
"It's alright, Fi. I can provide a defence." Tails smiled.  
"Actually..." The ageing hedgehog cut in, pulling out a piece of paper with the Council seal on it. "It says here... "HRH Princess Sally Alicia Acorn, Sonic Maurice Hedgehog, Bunnie Rabbot, Antoine DeCoolette, Rotor T. Walrus, Amelia Rose, Emerl Gizoid, and especially Miles Merlin Prower are barred from forming a defence for the Accused, as they are biased in favour of her." To be honest, I don't think that should be allowed- ergo, it's a loophole, but we can't fix it now, it would be seen as us changing the law to suit Fiona. Rotor's already had trouble, and he's on the Council itself, and if Hamlin wins, then that could spell bad news for everyone here. Elias and everyone else in the council already suggested that Rosemary and I walk on eggshells, especially Rosemary. It was a little hard to miss her blatant support of you."

"What... what do we do?"  
"I... might have something..." Tails mused. "It's a risky plan, but if we play it right... then this will end better than we could've hoped before."  
"What do we have to do?"  
"You'll know when the time comes." He replied cryptically. "Fiona, I'm going to need you to be prepared to defend yourself legally. I can help you work some things out beforehand, but you'll have to do it yourself on the day. For now, go and get some rest. I have a little... field trip... to take."  
"Alright, honey." Fiona nodded quietly, kissing his cheek.

* * *

Tails soon returned from his trip, and continued to keep quiet about where he had gone, instead throwing himself into preparing Fiona to take the stand. Both were confident that she would be able to outsmart Hamlin, and leave him fuming while she walked away freely.

The two foxes headed to the new Republic Courthouse, built with an extra row of raised seats to allow the Council to watch. Outside, they saw their other friends, milling around and waiting for them. Nicole looked gloomy, while Emerl scowled at everyone and everything that walked by in a Republic uniform.

"Hey guys." Tails called out, waving at them.  
"Hi bro." Sonic returned the gesture, face cold. "You and Fi going to be alright?"  
"Sonic, it's Hamlin." The younger fox replied. "This one's in the bag."

"I beg to differ."

The Freedom Fighters whirled around to see Hamlin smirking at them. Immediately, all present shot angry looks at him, and he shrank back slightly. "Miss Fox won't be dealing with me. I hired the best prosecutor I could find to make sure she goes down for a long time."

With that, he turned and headed into the building.

"Tails, I hope your plan covers this."  
"It does, trust me."

* * *

Inside, Fiona headed to her seat, while the lawyer, who appeared to be a Mobian fish of some sort, sat at the other table. The familiar marsupial judges were absent, replaced for today by a scowling gharial. Above him sat the six members of the Council, and King Elias, while to side sat the members of the jury. Tails and the other Freedom Fighters took a seat behind her, Emerl still glaring at everything that so much as looked at Nicole oddly.

"Be seated." He said. They did so, and Fiona started fiddling with her own tail- a nervous tic she'd formed in her youth. "Court is now in session, the case of the people of New Mobotropolis versus Fiona Indigo Fox. Are there any issues with the jury?"

"No, your honour." The lawyer smiled.  
"No, your honour." Fiona followed suit, seething at the provocative name of the case- implying that everyone was against her wasn't a good start.  
"This Council finds the jury to be unbiased." Hamlin grinned.  
"Very well, we shall begin."

The lawyer stood up, walking onto the main floor with his hands folded behind his back.

"Representative for the prosecution, Dominic J. Catfish." He introduced himself. Miss Fox, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"  
"I do."  
"Good. Now, is it not the case that you did, in fact, betray the team known as the Knothole Freedom Fighters, and sell them out to murderous criminal Scourge the Hedgehog?"  
"No."  
"Pardon?"  
"While I did betray my friends, I never sold them out. Scourge wasn't a tactician, but he was also a major egotist and an avowed misogynist. He didn't like to be told what to do, especially by someone without a Y-chromosome. I never gave him any information, and thus, I didn't sell my friends out."  
"Ah, yes, your friends. You seem to trying to work your way back into their good graces... Manipulating their sympathies with your ridiculous stories..."  
"Ridiculous stories?"  
"Yes. Tales that you were abused by your boyfriend, when obviously you wouldn't have joined him if he were really that vile. And of course, the idea that you were... possessed by an evil god?"

"Well, both of them are solved simply: I wasn't possessed, it was straight-up mind control. He made me do those things."  
"Oh yes, yes. I see. You were merely hypnotized. Of course, the truth about hypnosis is that you can't make someone do anything they wouldn't normally do. So if you really were hypnotized, then whatever you did is nothing you'd have an adverse reaction to doing without hypnosis."  
"It wasn't hypnosis either. It was reaching inside my head and changing the way I think. And I didn't even know about Mephiles' control over me until Tails told me."  
"I see. Of course, the issue here is that we don't even have proof that this "Mephiles" is real. And if he is, I'm sure he has much more pressing issues to deal with than playing with the life of a simple Mobian girl who betrayed her friends for fun, and then came crawling back when her new beau was killed in battle."  
"I-it's not like that!" Fiona shouted. "I... there's footage! I know there is, I've watched it!"  
"The footage could easily have been faked. It's Shadow the Hedgehog with wings."

In the stands, Sonic drummed his fingers on a handrail.

"It's no good, she's got nothing to prove Mephiles exists, and her whole defence is based on that."  
"Plan B should be arriving shortly." Tails said.  
"You're really calm about this, bro."  
"That's because I know what's about to happen."

"In summation, Miss Fox is either a bad liar, or highly delusional." Dominic sighed, evidently feigning sympathy.  
"Now, onto the defence..."

Fiona stood up to speak, but as she did so, the space at the front of the room was split by a flash of gold, as a Warp Ring took form. A figure slowly stepped out of it, tall, well built, and vulpine in appearance, wearing a red and black uniform, with a black cape hanging from his shoulders, while his twin tails lashed behind him.

"Representative for the Defence, King Miles Amadeus Prower, Emperor of Acornia, Lord Protector Moebius, Master of the Golden Empire, and, as of this morning, honourary member of the Knothole Freedom Fighters. Sorry I'm late, I got advised to make an entrance."

"Miles?" Sonic stared at Tails. "Your plan is Miles?"  
"Pretty much. Hamlin got us into this mess by exploiting a loophole. Now I'm getting us out by doing the same."

"Pardon me, but your name bars you from representing Miss Fox." Hamlin smirked.  
"Oh, not so." Miles grinned, looking around the chamber. He snapped his fingers, and a piece of paper appeared in his grip. "I have with me a copy of the official documents regarding the case. It lists "Miles Merlin Prower, alias Tails", but not "Miles Amadeus Prower", or any of my titles. I am not my counterpart, he is not me, so I'm afraid that I slip through the cracks."

Hamlin seethed, as Miles pulled a palmtop computer from his pocket. It was similar to Nicole's original form in design, except the lights on it were purple.

"I'm going to start by proving that Miss Fox was not in her right mind." The paler fox announced, pressing a button on the machine. A holographic image of an odd pattern appeared. "This is a scan of Fiona's brainwaves when I first met her. As you can see, they flit from one extreme to the other every time she tries to make a decision." He snapped his fingers, and the image was replaced by a much more regular one. "This is her brain the other day. Now it's quite obvious that she's thinking for herself. At this point, whether you believe her justification or not, it's quite plain that there was something wrong with her mind. Perhaps she was simply drugged by Scourge, and the drugs made her see things that weren't there, like a dark god."

The lawyer shifted uneasily, as Hamlin fumed.

"Of course, that's not enough for me. I wanted to prove Fiona's words to be the truth, beyond a shadow of a doubt. So, time for exhibit B." Miles went on. The hologram changed, now showing the courtyard as it was during the battle, filled with Mephiles' demons, as Sonic and Scourge fought overhead. Mephiles himself was squaring off against Silver, his arms thrown wide, and a dark smile on his face. "This was recorded by my dear Anima, during the battle, and it clearly displays the same figure from Nicole's footage. Now, Anima, switch the sound on, I think they need to hear this bit."

On Miles' command, the footage began to play sound as well. Mephiles' low, rumbling voice echoed through the building. Fiona shifted uneasily in her seat.

_"__Then accept you doom..."_ He said, as his body began to twist, growing larger to the tune of breaking bones. Crystals grew through his flesh, as his eyes turned crimson. Soon, he stood tall- His wings were now blade-like, and he had two extra pairs, his muzzle was smooth and featureless, and horns curved upwards from behind his ears. His legs had cracked forwards below his knees, and his tail lashed behind him.

"Now, I don't know about you, but I doubt that this is edited footage of Shadow the Hedgehog." Miles grinned. "Pleasant to look at, isn't he? Of course, we also know for certain that gods do indeed exist. Why, your dimension saw an attack from Chaos a scant few years ago. And if one member of your pantheon is real, then why isn't another? Of course, if you require further proof, then we need Exhibit C."

The hologram changed, now showing the initial model of Mephiles, next to Shadow, their records flashing up beside them.

"Now, as you can see, Mephiles is taller by a few inches. His mouth seems to be something that materialises when he wants it too. The wings are obvious, but what's less obvious is are the other changes. Shadow has as much muscle as you would expect someone of his physical age and ability to have, while Mephiles is leaner, thinner. He also has an extra pair of quills on his head, and even when at its natural length, his tail is longer. They are most certainly not the same person. Furthermore, I myself can testify that Moebius had cults dedicated to the worship of Mephiles and others like him, including a certain Hyperion, and those who followed the former did indeed receive gifts from their master. But if you want real proof..."

The fox opened his Warp Ring again, and leaned into it. "Ally, dear, we're ready for you."  
"Be right there." Alicia's voice called back. Miles returned to the material zone, as the ring widened, allowing a metal canister, supported by four of Anima's drones, with Alicia herself sitting atop it, to be brought through. The grey lynxes set the container down, then merged into one, technicolour Anima, while Alicia hopped down and joined Miles. He stepped over to the pod, and opened it up, allowing the occupant to stand.

The creature had jet-black skin, no light reflecting off of it. It was scrawny, and hunched over, with a row of icy crystal spikes growing out of its back and along its forearms. A pair of narrow eyes flickered around the room, while its jaws snapped at nothing, until it noticed Fiona. Shrieking, it bounded towards her, only to be cut off by Anima, who blasted it back, as the majority of the crowd screamed.

"Sorry, but these things dissipate after death, so we had to bring it in live." Miles explained. The creature roared, and charged forward again, meeting Alicia's whip this time. Her partner raised his hand, and let loose a flash of purple, freezing the entity in place.

"W-what is it?" Dominic stuttered.  
"One of Mephiles' underlings. They're typically referred to as demons by the laity, but the correct term is Darkwalker."  
"And are those the black things in that video?"  
"Yes." Miles nodded. "I captured this one for study during the battle. It can't move now, I suppose you'll be wanting to take a closer look?"  
"This is close enough, thank you."

"I thought that might be the case. Either way, I have proved that Fiona was under mind control when she turned against you. I have proved, beyond any doubt, that Mephiles is real, and he is not merely edited images of Shadow, as you claimed. If these things are all true, then surely... it isn't a huge leap to suggest that, when Fiona says she was brainwashed by Mephiles... that, in fact, she was brainwashed by Mephiles. Surely it is not a coincidence that all of the Freedom Fighters and at least one member of your council either believe her story, or were there to witness Mephiles' claim to controlling Fiona. And furthermore... my 'brother' may love Fiona deeply. He may trust her because of that. But I know that he would not risk anyone in this room, even an ungrateful, jealous control-freak like Hamlin, or a rigid jobsworth like Dominic, just for his own happiness. He would not have brought Fiona here if he thought there was any danger with her. Given her a bed in an isolated lab, maybe, but he certainly wouldn't have brought her back here." Miles said. "Now, in summation, Fiona's story is true, and she is, once again, her normal, good-hearted self, and she will be a dutiful Freedom Fighter under Sally's leadership. The people have nothing to fear from her."

"Do either of you have any more to say?"  
"N-no, your honour..." The rattled Dominic said.  
"On this matter, no, but I have something very interesting to bring up." Miles added, shoving the Darkwalker back into its canister.  
"Which is?"  
"One more little recording." The fox smiled. He snapped his fingers again, and Anima's eyes lit up. A voice echoed through the room- Hamlin's voice.

"_Here's a little extra. Make sure she rots._"  
"_I have my doubts that this is a good idea..._" Another speaker, clearly Dominic, replied. "_She seems innocent enough._"  
"_That may be the case, but a guilty verdict will expose the Princess' terrible decision-making, and that will edge us ever closer to gaining full control of the Freedom Fighters._"  
"_Very well..._"

The occupants of the room stared at Hamlin, who started to sweat.

"H-how did you-?"  
"I had Anima monitoring you from the moment I set foot in this world. I was hoping to get some blackmail material, but you provided me with a golden opportunity. Your envious agenda has caused you to attempt to have an innocent girl sent down, just to give you more leverage. Disgusting." Miles spat. "And now, I rest my case."

"The jury may leave to discuss their verdict." The judge said. "As for Councillor Hamlin... take him into custody."  
"Gladly." Nicole spoke up, appearing behind the pig and encasing him in a glowing bubble.  
"You can't do this to me!"  
"We can, and we will. This is something you've had coming for a while." Rotor stated, as Nicole made the bubble float away.

Fiona stood up from her table, as Tails rushed down to meet her. The young couple hugged, tails curling around each other, as the trio of Moebians, along with the other Freedom Fighters, approached them.

"Thank you, Miles." Fiona beamed.  
"It was my pleasure, Fiona." Miles faked a bow. "I may not be a good man, but I am a fair one. You serving any form of time for what Mephiles made you do... would be a gross injustice."  
"Besides, it was an excuse to come say hi." Alicia shrugged.  
"Do remember, Master, that this is subject to the will of the jury." Anima broke in. "Some of them may agree with Hamlin, and unless they reach a complete verdict... the case will be subject to retrial."  
"Oh, ye of little faith, Anima."  
"Yeah, there's no reason to doubt Fiona's story any longer." Alicia grinned. "Speaking of, how are things with you, Fi?"  
"They're going good, thanks." Fiona smiled, hugging Alicia. "Hope you don't mind, but I told them about what happened between us."  
"It's cool. What was the general reaction?"  
"Surprise, though Tails and Sonic made comments and Sally murmured something about needing a drink."  
"We're standing right here." Tails and Sonic grinned, while Sally rolled her eyes.  
"I know. How about you, Ally?"  
"Well, Scourge is gone, and we swept up what we think might've been his remains. It took Anima a week to get the Cheeto stains out of the furniture. Other than that, it's been pretty samey. Believe it or not, Miles has actually been smiling in front of _other people._"  
"Amazing!" Fiona mocked a gasp, while the fox in question chuckled.

A few minutes later, the jury returned, and the assembled friends returned to their seats.

"We, the jury, find the defendant "not guilty" of treason. Again." One of them said. Fiona beamed, hugged Miles, and then pulled Tails into a deep kiss, as the people in the seats began to applaud. 

* * *

Later, the group had returned to Chuck's Diner, sitting at their table again.

"What are you going to do now?" Sally asked, looking at the trio of Moebians.  
"Well, if you don't mind... we'd quite like to spend a little time here." Miles replied.  
"What, the diner, or Mobius Prime in general?"  
"The latter."  
"Okay, why?"  
"A few reasons. One, I want to see how it differs from our world. Two, Ally wants to spend some time with Fiona. Three, I have invented a device that should protect us from Chaos poisoning. Naturally, it needs live testing."  
"Very well. Will you need accomodation?" Sally asked. "I'm sure Nicole can provide a new house."  
"No, we can return home each night to sleep."  
"Won't that be a little time consuming?" Amy asked.  
"Not with Warp Rings. Safe, quick, and easy to transport. No risk of telefragging." Anima replied, winking at her.  
"Uh, why are you looking at me like that?"  
"Well, with some therapy, Anima here helped Rosy regain her sanity. And then seduced her."  
"Oh. Um, that's... different?"  
"Uh, Niki?"  
"No, Em."  
"Okay."  
"Well, welcome to Mobius." Tails shrugged. "Hope you like it."  
"I'm sure we will."


End file.
